It’s kind of a glorious thing, being an independent creative. No one to report to, no one to monitor, no other opinions to consider, just you and, if you’re lucky, the client. This is great if your business is as specific as your talent: you devise logos, or make letterpress stationery, or code sites. For web designers, things can get a bit stickier.
There’s a very real possibility that as your business expands and your client list grows, you’ll be asked to do more. Maybe you’ll start by farming out odd-jobs to freelancers here and there, and that might work for a while, but if you’re build to last, you’ll outgrow that model and need a more reliable structure. Then it’ll be time to put together a team.
They can be independent contractors or in-house employees, whichever model works best for you, but what they really need to do is mesh with both your work and your working style. Having similar tastes is a great start, but make sure that those tastes aren’t identical (because you’ll never get pushed to grow that way), and find people whose communication style makes sense to you. The reverse is true, too: they need to get you.
So what does a start-to-finish independent web design firm need to make sure all its bases are covered? Most entrepreneurs go into business because they have a particular skill. Before they know it, they find themselves hardly doing that thing they were first passionate about and mostly juggling the different tasks of running a business.
Below are the different core components of a web design and development firm. At first, you, the business owner, may find yourself wearing multiple hats–you should be until you’re business is at the point where you can’t possible imagine doing one more thing. That’s a good indicator that it’s time to start hiring. Start slow. Figuring out which position to hire for can be tricky. Our president, Sara, asks herself two questions when she hits this point: 1.) What do I enjoy doing least (and am therefore probably not doing best)? and 2.) What’s the easiest to systematize? Once she has the answer to that, she knows the job that needs to be filled and can draw up a clear job description identifying all of the tasks and processes relevant to the position.
- Design Team. Okay, duh, you’re probably thinking, a web design firm needs a design team. Thanks for that useful tip. But I’m serious! Maybe you’re more interested in the management part of the business, or your love of coding runs deep. (I know you guys exist, right? Somewhere?) Working with a team is a chance for you to specialize in whatever piece of the pie you love most (cherry, obviously) and really master it. You’ll need a graphic designer and a UX designer. Yes, they’re different jobs. Your UX lead doesn’t just need to know web design and the intricacies of user experience design. No, she or he has to get people and do a great job interacting with them, because this is someone who’s going to be in a lot of direct contact with clients. Oh, and you should like them, too.
- Development Team. O hai, yes, you need one of these if you want to build people unique, personally-tailored sites. These guys will be your tech zen-masters, and as such they should know all the languages your firm specializes in. At Command C, the development team is also critical to the inquiry process: they weigh in on how we should approach projects and exactly what work will be involved–something only a developer would know.
- A project manager. Unless you want to lose track of things (but really, who are you?), your business is going to need a project manager. Assuming you’re handling at least five clients at a time, you’ll need a dedicated individual who can keep each project and its related tasks moving forward. Sure, it’s simple enough to do this yourself at first, but between all the communication and tracking involved, you’re eventually (if you’re lucky) going to have too many clients to do all this and your own job.
- A social media/communications specialist. This is clearly the most essential job, because this is what I do. You need someone who gets social networking, gets copywriting on numerous levels (advertising, editorial, personal), and gets you contacts. These can be clients or co-workers, but this person needs to be great with language and people. Preferably without being cynical and calculating about it.
- A Head of New Business. Yes, at Command C, I do this too! This is part and parcel of making contacts in communications. Your New Business gal needs to know how to research, be professional, approachable, and sociable, and be outgoing enough to take that first step of reaching out to potential clients.
Once you have your team, you’ll be set to grow your business comfortably and sanely. Also, you’ll have a dedicated group of people for team building exercises, like trust falls and rock-climbing.
For the past six years, I’ve worked as a technical writer in the IT division of a major financial firm, learning the ins and outs of risk analysis, policy writing, and technical documentation. Prior to that I worked as a copywriter and editorial assistant at a couple different magazines, composing advertising and editorial copy for print and digital publications.
You need to redesign your website. You know you’re ready because you’ve already established it’s the 
